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  "Naruto, can you untie this rope for me?" Sasuke twisted uncomfortably on the bed, resembling a trapped caterpilr.

  Naruto crossed his arms, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "I'd like to say yes... but I refuse."

  "Why not?" Sasuke demanded, gring.

  Feigning caution, Naruto replied, "What if your Curse Mark acts up and I get caught in the crossfire?"

  "You already defeated the enemy, didn't you? You even agreed that defeating them would suppress the mark," Sasuke shot back, irritation evident in his voice.

  "Yeah, but that's just a theory. There's no guarantee the Curse Mark has been neutralized entirely." Naruto shrugged. He gnced toward the kitchen, where Kakashi was presumably cooking, and grinned. "Besides, I've got some time to kill."

  Sasuke sighed and called out, "Mom!" His gaze darted to Mikoto, hoping for rescue.

  Mikoto smiled serenely, siding with Naruto. "I think it's better to listen to Naruto for now. You never know. He might be onto something."

  Sasuke frowned. "Fine. What do you want?"

  Naruto's grin widened, the glint of mischief unmistakable in his eyes. "Let's head to the Hyūga cn to have Hinata take a look. Just to be safe."

  Sasuke hesitated, his pride wounded. "Do we have to? Being seen like this would be humiliating."

  Naruto gave a casual shrug. "No worries. With my style, no one will pay attention." Before Sasuke could protest further, Naruto slung him over his shoulder and headed for the door.

  "Hey! What are you doing?" Sasuke sputtered, kicking his legs. "Why don't you just use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu?"

  "That'd be rude. Last time, I only used it to avoid causing a scene. This time, we'll walk," Naruto expined, ignoring Sasuke's struggles.

  "Let me go, you idiot!" Sasuke growled, writhing in protest.

  Mikoto watched them with amusement. "Take care of him, Naruto," she called after them. "And don't forget to have fun!"

  Naruto waved cheerfully. "Don't worry, Aunt Mikoto!"

  As they strolled through the Uchiha district, Naruto made a point of greeting nearly everyone they passed.

  "Hi, Uncle!"

  "Hello, Sister!"

  "Oh, hi, Mother-in-w!"

  Naruto smirked at the increasingly mortified Sasuke. "Oh, this? Yeah, it's Sasuke. Doesn't he look handsome all tied up? Don't worry, I'm taking him for a checkup."

  Sasuke buried his face in his hands, wishing the ground would swallow him whole. The image he had painstakingly built, cool, composed, and mature, was crumbling around him.

  Eventually, they reached the Hyūga estate. Hyūga Hiashi wasn't home, but Hinata and Hanabi were practising in the courtyard.

  Hinata paused, her vender eyes widening as she saw the two approaches.

  "Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked softly, tilting her head in confusion. "What happened?"

  "Oh, nothing serious," Naruto said breezily. "I just brought Sasuke over for a follow-up check. Can you use your Byakugan to confirm everything is okay?"

  Hinata nodded and activated her Byakugan, studying Sasuke intently. After a moment, she smiled. "Everything seems normal. The strange chakra I noticed before is completely gone."

  Naruto sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. Alright, Sasuke, you're free." He untied the ropes binding Sasuke's wrists and ankles.

  As soon as he was free, Sasuke cracked his knuckles and advanced on Naruto. "You're dead."

  Naruto ughed nervously, raising his hands in defence. "Hey, hey, no punches to the face!"

  Before Sasuke could act, his stomach growled loudly, cutting through the tension. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  Naruto grinned. "Hungry, huh? Perfect timing for Kakashi-sensei's cooking. Let's grab some food, and you can hit me afterwards."

  Sasuke grumbled but eventually relented. "Fine. But you're still paying for this humiliation ter."

  Naruto turned to Hinata. "Want to join us for dinner? Kakashi-sensei's cooking is top-notch."

  Hinata shook her head, smiling. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, but I still have the training to finish. I promised Hanabi I'd spend time with her today."

  Hanabi peeked out from behind Hinata, sticking her tongue out at Naruto.

  Naruto chuckled. "Alright, Hinata. Next time, then."

  As Naruto and Sasuke left the Hyūga estate and headed toward Kakashi's, Sasuke muttered under his breath. "I hate you, Naruto."

  "Love you too, Sasuke," Naruto replied with a smirk.

  Back at the Uchiha compound, Itachi greeted them calmly. Though his expression softened slightly at Sasuke, it didn't escape Naruto's notice when Itachi quietly muttered, "Good luck, little brother."

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